Mechanical assembly for lifting a balloon

ABSTRACT

A lift assembly for use during inflation of a balloon envelope is provided. The lift assembly includes a plate structure that has a set of cavities. Each cavity includes one or more openings passing through the plate. One or more pistons are coupled to the plate through at least one of the openings of each cavity in the set of cavities. Each piston has a hollow tube portion projecting lengthwise from the at least one opening, a flange attached to the hollow tube portion and a grabber portion in communication with the flange. The grabber portion includes a plurality of bearings for grabbing a stud attached to an apex of the balloon envelope. A handle portion is coupled to the plate. The handle is arranged to lift the balloon envelope when the bearings have grabbed a given stud.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/873,297, filed Oct. 2, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/177,575, filed Feb. 11, 2014, now issuedas U.S. Pat. No. 9,180,955, the disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Computing devices such as personal computers, laptop computers, tabletcomputers, cellular phones, and countless types of Internet-capabledevices are increasingly prevalent in numerous aspects of modem life. Assuch, the demand for data connectivity via the Internet, cellular datanetworks, and other such networks, is growing. However, there are manyareas of the world where data connectivity is still unavailable, or ifavailable, is unreliable and/or costly. Accordingly, additional networkinfrastructure is desirable.

Some systems may provide network access via a balloon network operatingin the stratosphere. Because of the various forces experienced by theseballoons during deployment and operation, there is a balancing of needsbetween flexibility and stability of materials. The balloons may be madeof an envelope material configured in sections or lobes to create a“pumpkin” or lobed balloon. The lobes are supported by a plurality oftendons.

Before a balloon can be deployed, its envelope must be inflated. Toaccomplish this, typically the balloon envelope is laid out on a worksurface. For example, the balloon envelope may be completely laid out onthe ground on tarps so that it can be inflated. However, while on theground, the envelope may be damaged, for instance by people walkingacross it, which can possibly shorten the balloon's flight life.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure are advantageous for providing a liftassembly for lifting a balloon envelope while it is being inflated. Thismay be done while the balloon structure is in a shipping container,which avoids having to lay out the envelope on the ground.

In one embodiment, the lift assembly includes a plate structure that hasa set of cavities. Each cavity includes one or more openings passingthrough the plate structure. One or more pistons are coupled to theplate structure through at least one of the one or more openings of eachcavity. Each piston has a hollow tube portion projecting lengthwise fromthe at least one opening, a flange attached to the hollow tube portionand a grabber portion in communication with the flange. The grabberportion includes a plurality of bearings for grabbing a stud attached toan apex of the balloon envelope. A handle portion is coupled to theplate structure. The handle portion is arranged to lift the balloonenvelope when the bearings associated with each piston has grabbed agiven stud. In some aspects, an airflow unit is coupled to each piston.The airflow unit is configured to actuate the piston in order for theflange to cause the bearings of the grabber portion to grab the stud.

In one example, each piston includes a cap capable of holding the pistonwithin a given cavity of the plate structure. The cap allows the pistonfreedom of movement in relation to the plate structure. In this regard,the cap allows the piston to move horizontally and rotationally withrespect to an axis of the plate structure.

In another example, a control unit is in communication with the airflowunit. The control unit can remotely control the airflow unit to actuatethe pistons. Each piston includes an actuator coupled to the airflowunit. The actuator has a first position for allowing air into and asecond position for allowing air out of the hollow tube of the piston.When the actuator is in the first position to allow air into the hollowtube portion, the airflow unit is configured to cause the flange of thepiston to extend out into the grabber portion to open the plurality ofbearings wide enough for the pull stud to pass. When the actuator is inthe second position to allow air out of the hollow tube portion, theairflow unit is configured to cause the flange to retract back into thehollow tube portion to clamp the plurality of bearings around the pullstud.

In yet another example, the lift assembly includes a hoist to lift theballoon envelope when the plate structure is attached. The hoistincludes a cable coupled to the handle portion.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a system. The systemincludes a balloon that has a balloon envelope and a lift assembly foruse during inflation of the balloon envelope. The lift assembly includesa plate structure that has a set of cavities. Each cavity includes oneor more openings for passing through the plate structure. One or morepistons are coupled to the plate structure through at least one of theone or more openings of each cavity. The piston has a hollow tubeportion projecting lengthwise from the at least one opening, a flangeattached to the hollow tube portion and a grabber portion incommunication with the flange. The grabber portion includes a pluralityof bearings for grabbing a stud attached to an apex of the balloonenvelope. A handle portion is coupled to the plate structure. The handleportion is arranged to lift the balloon envelope when the bearingsassociated with each piston has grabbed a given stud. In some aspects,an airflow unit is coupled to each piston. The airflow unit isconfigured to actuate the piston in order for the flange to cause thebearings of the grabber portion to grab the stud.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of a system in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an example of a balloon in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 is an example of a lift assembly in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is another view of the lift assembly of FIG. 3 in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is another example of a lift assembly in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6A-6C are examples of a piston in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7 is an example of a control system for actuating a piston inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is another example of a system in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIGS. 9A-9C are examples of a lift assembly lifting a balloon envelopein accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects, features and advantages of the disclosure will be appreciatedwhen considered with reference to the following description ofembodiments and accompanying figures. The same reference numbers indifferent drawings may identify the same or similar elements.Furthermore, the following description is not limiting; the scope of thepresent technology is defined by the appended claims and equivalents.

The present disclosure generally relates to providing an assembly forlifting a balloon, e.g., out of a shipping box or other container whileinflating the balloon envelope. This allows the balloon to be deployedwithout needing to lay the whole balloon out and possibly causing damageto the balloon envelope. In this disclosure, a lift assembly for aballoon structure is described. The lift assembly includes one or morepistons (e.g., pneumatic pistons), coupled to a plate structure. Forexample, the pistons may be arranged through an opening near each cornerof the plate structure. In one arrangement, each piston has a hollowtube portion, a flange (e.g., a projection) attached to the hollow tubeportion, and a grabber portion coupled to the flange. By way of exampleonly, the grabber portion may include a number of ball bearings forminga wreath of bearings for grabbing a pull stud attached to an apex of theballoon structure.

To grab a given pull stud, the pistons of the plate structure feed intoan airflow unit that may include an air compressor and manifold. The airmanifold can be attached to a solenoid actuator associated with eachpiston. This actuator allows air in and out of the hollow tube portionof the piston, thus manipulating the flange therein. For example, whenthe piston is actuated by forcing air into the hollow tube portion, theflange will extend out into the grabber portion, causing the wreath ofbearings to open wide enough for the pull stud to pass by them. When thepiston is actuated (e.g., by forcing air out of the hollow tubeportion), the flange will retract back in the piston body. In thisregard, the wreath of bearings will close tightly or clamp around thenarrowed neck of the pull stud. When the wreath of bearings of thegrabber portion of each piston has grabbed a given pull stud, the handleportion that is coupled to the plate structure can be used to lift theballoon envelope, for example, out of the shipping box.

In some aspects, the pistons include a cap that allows each piston tohave some freedom of movement in relation to the plate structure. Thiswill allow the pistons more freedom to line up and slip down over thepull studs. In other aspects, the airflow unit can be controlledremotely, thereby allowing a user to remotely un-clamp the lift assemblyfrom the apex of the balloon structure. For example, this can beaccomplished while the user is on the ground and the lift assembly isholding the balloon above the ground.

EXAMPLE SYSTEM

FIG. 1 depicts an example system 100 in which a balloon as describedabove may be used. This example should not be considered as limiting thescope of the disclosure or usefulness of the features described herein.System 100 may be considered a “balloon network.” In this example,balloon network 100 includes a plurality of devices, such as of balloons102A-F as well as ground base stations 106 and 112. Balloon network 100may also include a plurality of additional devices, such as variouscomputing devices (not shown) as discussed in more detail below.

As shown, the devices of system 100 are configured to communicate withone another. As an example, the balloons may include free-space opticallinks 104 and/or radiofrequency (RF) links 114 in order to facilitateintra-balloon communications. In this way, balloons 102A-F maycollectively function as a mesh network for packet data communications.Further, at least some of balloons 102A-B may be configured for RFcommunications with ground-based stations 106 and 112 via respective RFlinks 108. Some balloons, such as balloon 102F, could be configured tocommunicate via optical link 110 with ground-based station 112.

As noted above, to transmit data to another balloon, a given balloon 102may be configured to transmit an optical signal via an optical link 104.In addition, the given balloon 102 may use one or more high-powerlight-emitting diodes (LEDs) to transmit an optical signal.Alternatively, some or all of the balloons may include laser systems forfree-space optical communications over the optical links 104. Othertypes of free-space optical communication are possible. Further, inorder to receive an optical signal from another balloon via an opticallink 104, a given balloon may include one or more optical receivers.

The balloons 102A-F may collectively function as a mesh network. Morespecifically, since balloons 102A-F may communicate with one anotherusing free-space optical links, the balloons may collectively functionas a free-space optical mesh network where each balloon may function asa node of the mesh network. The balloons of balloon network 100 may behigh-altitude balloons, which are deployed in the stratosphere. As anexample, the balloons may generally be configured to operate ataltitudes between 18 km and 25 km above the Earth's surface in order tolimit the balloon's exposure to high winds and interference withcommercial airline flights. Additional aspects of the balloons arediscussed in greater detail below, with reference to FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is an example high-altitude balloon 200, which may represent anyof the balloons of balloon network 100. As shown, the balloon 200includes an envelope 210, a payload 220 and a plurality of tendons230-250 attached to the envelope 210.

The high-altitude balloon envelope 210 may take various forms. In oneinstance, the balloon envelope 210 may be constructed from materialssuch as polyethylene that do not hold much load while the balloon 200 isfloating in the air during flight. Additionally, or alternatively, someor all of envelope 210 may be constructed from a highly flexible latexmaterial or rubber material such as chloroprene. Other materials orcombinations thereof may also be employed. Further, the shape and sizeof the envelope 210 may vary depending upon the particularimplementation. Additionally, the envelope 210 may be filled withvarious gases or mixtures thereof, such as helium, hydrogen or any otherlighter-than-air gas. The envelope 210 is thus arranged to have anassociated upward buoyancy force during deployment of the payload 220.

The payload 220 of balloon 200 is affixed to the envelope by aconnection 260 such as a cable. The payload 220 may include a computersystem (not shown), having one or more processors and on-board datastorage. The payload 220 may also include various other types ofequipment and systems (not shown) to provide a number of differentfunctions. For example, the payload 220 may include an opticalcommunication system, a navigation system, a positioning system, alighting system, an altitude control system and a power supply to supplypower to various components of balloon 200.

In view of the goal of making the balloon envelope 210 as lightweight aspossible, it may be comprised of a plurality of envelope lobes or goresthat have a thin film, such as polyethylene or polyethyleneterephthalate, which is lightweight, yet has suitable strengthproperties for use as a balloon envelope deployable in the stratosphere.In this example, balloon envelope 210 is comprised of envelope gores210A-210D.

The individual envelope gores 210A-210D may be shaped so that the lengthof the edge seam connecting adjacent envelope gores is greater than thelength of a centerline of the envelope gores. Thus, the envelope gores210A-210D may be shaped to better optimize the strain rate experiencedby the balloon envelope 210. The pressurized lifting gas within theballoon envelope 210 may cause a force or load to be applied to theballoon 200.

The tendons 230-250 provide strength to the balloon 200 to carrier theload created by the pressurized gas within the balloon envelope 210. Insome examples, a cage of tendons (not shown) may be created usingmultiple tendons that are attached vertically and horizontally. Eachtendon may be formed as a fiber load tape that is adhered to arespective envelope gore. Alternately, a tubular sleeve may be adheredto the respective envelopes with the tendon positioned within thetubular sleeve.

Top ends of the tendons 230, 240 and 250 may be coupled together usingan apparatus, such as top cap 201 positioned at the apex of balloonenvelope 210. Bottom ends of the tendons 230, 240 and 250 may also beconnected to one another. For example, a corresponding apparatus, e.g.,bottom cap 202, is disposed at a base or bottom of the balloon envelope210. The top cap 201 at the apex may be the same size and shape as andbottom cap 202 at the bottom. Both caps include corresponding componentsfor attaching the tendons 230, 240 and 250.

In some aspects, an apparatus can be coupled to the balloon envelope 210in order to safely deploy the balloon 200. For example, a type of liftassembly can be coupled to the top cap 201 at the apex or top of theballoon envelope 210 in order to lift the envelope in the air duringinflation. An advantage of using the lifting assembly is that it avoidsthe need of laying the whole balloon envelope 210 out, e.g., on theground during assembly, which can likely damage the envelope and shortenthe flight life of the balloon 200. Further aspects regarding the liftassembly are described below.

FIG. 3 is an example of a lift assembly 300. As shown, the lift assembly300 includes a main body 310, pistons 325, 335, 345 and 355, and ahandle 380. In some aspects, the main body 310 of the lift assembly 300has upper and lower portions with generally planar surfaces. Forexample, the main body 310 can be a rigid plate structure that includesone or more plates, such as upper plate 310A and lower plate 310B. Insome aspects, when the main body 310 includes more than one plate, suchas plates 310A and 310B, they are joined together using, e.g., aplurality of screws 309, nut and bolts, fasteners or other devices forsecuring the plates to each other.

Disposed in the main body 310 of the lift assembly 300 are a number ofcavities 320, 330, 340 and 350. Each cavity has corresponding openingsthat pass through the plate(s) of the main body 310. These cavities areconfigured so that the corresponding openings on each of the one or moreplates are in communication or in other words aligned with each other.This allows the openings associated with a particular cavity to passfrom the upper surface of the main body 310 to the lower surface.Although other configurations are possible, in this example, thecavities 320, 330, 340 and 350 and corresponding openings have asubstantially cylindrical shape.

The main body 310 is of a material strong enough to support the weightof the balloon envelope, such as steel or aluminum. As shown in FIG. 3,the handle 380, such as a U-bolt, can be coupled to the upper surface ofthe main body 310 of the lift assembly 310. This handle can be coupledto the main body 310 using, e.g., a screw 385 or other type of fastener.In other examples, the upper surface of the main body 310 may be formedin manner so that the handle is an integral part of the main body 310.The handle allows for the balloon envelope to be lifted when the liftassembly 300 is attached. Techniques for attaching the lift assembly 310to the balloon envelope are further discussed below.

The plurality of pistons 325, 335, 345 and 355 are configured to couplethe lift assembly 310 to the balloon envelope, e.g., via the top cap201. As shown in FIG. 3, the pistons 325, 335, 345 and 355 extendlengthwise from the lower surface of the main body 310 of the assembly300. Each cavity 320, 330, 340 and 350 is configured to allow a part ofa corresponding one of the pistons to pass through at least one of theopenings associated with the cavity. The pistons 325, 335, 345 and 355can then project through a portion of the main body 310 of the liftassembly. In that regard, the pistons 325, 335, 345 and 355 are also asubstantially cylindrical in shape so as to correspond with the shape ofeach opening and cavity. Other shapes for the pistons and the cavitiesmay be employed.

FIG. 4 is another view 400 of the lift assembly 300 of FIG. 3. In thisexample, a lower surface of the main body 310 is shown. As shown, piston325, 335, 345 and 355 project lengthwise from the lower surface throughthe openings associated with cavities 320, 330, 340 and 350. Asdiscussed, at least one opening is configured so that a given piston canpass through it.

One end of each piston is coupled to the body of the lift assembly 300in that it rests within a given cavity. For example, an end of piston325 rests within cavity 320, an end of piston 335 rests within cavity330, an end of piston 345 rests within cavity 340 and an end of piston355 rests within cavity 350. The other end of each piston will beattached to the balloon envelope.

FIG. 5 is another example of a lift assembly 500. In this example, aside view of the lift assembly 500 is shown. The assembly 500 includes aplate structure 510 that includes upper plate 510A and lower plate 510Bjoined together, a set of cavities and a handle 580 coupled to the upperplate 510A. Here, cavities 520 and 530 are shown. The cavities 520 and530 respectively include with one or more openings that go from an upperplate 510A of the plate structure 510 to a lower plate 510B. Forexample, cavity 520 includes openings 522 and 524 and cavity 530includes openings 532 and 534.

At least one of the openings allows a part of a particular piston toproject through the plate structure 510. For example, when the upperplate 510A and lower plate 510B of the lift assembly 500 are separated,an elongated portion of each of the pistons 525 and 535 can be insertedinto a respective opening 524 and 534 on the lower plate 510B. The lowerplate 510B is then is joined to the upper plate 510A. As shown in FIG.5, once the pistons are positioned on the lift assembly 500, theelongated portions of the pistons 524 and 525 project through the platestructure 510.

So that the pistons 525 and 535 do not completely go through theopenings 524 and 534, each piston includes an end cap that is capable ofthe holding that piston within a given cavity of the plate structure510. The end caps are configured so that they cannot go pass theopenings that the elongated part of the piston is projecting through.This allows the pistons 525 and 535 some degree or freedom of movementin relation to the plate structure 510. For this reason, the cavities522 and 532 may be configured to be slightly over-sized in comparison tothe end caps that held within them. This allows each piston to move orotherwise shift horizontally within that cavity. In some aspects, a pad(not shown) can be positioned between the end cap of each piston and theplate structure 510 before the upper plate 510A and lower plate 510B arejoined so that the piston does not rattle around in the over-sizedcavity. This pad can be silicon or some other type of similar materialthat can provide a flexible cushion between the end caps and the platestructure 310.

Similarly, the openings 524 and 534 are also slightly over-sized incomparison to the hall of the piston projecting through them. Thisallows each piston to be able to rotate in the opening. Although othershape combinations are possible, the pistons can rotate in the openingswithout significant effort because both the piston and the openingtypically will have a substantially cylindrical shape.

An advantage of being able to move the pistons 525 and 535 bothhorizontally as well as rotationally is that they can be easily alignedover a given pull stud attached to the balloon envelope. Once the pullstuds are aligned with the pistons 525 and 535, the pistons can thenslide over the studs so that they can be inserted into an opening in thehall of each piston. For example, an individual stud may be insertedinto opening 526 of piston 525 and opening 536 of piston 535. At whichpoint, the openings 526 and 536 of the pistons 525 and 535 areconfigured to grab the inserted stud.

FIG. 6A is an example of a piston 600, which may be used in a liftassembly as described above. The piston 600 includes first and secondportions 610 and 620 in communication with each other, a plurality ofball bearings 625 for grabbing a given pull stud, such as pull stud 629,an opening 627 for sliding over the stud, and an end cap 630 coupled toone of the portions. In FIG. 6A, the end cap 630 is shown coupled to thefirst portion 610 of the piston 600. As discussed above, the end cap 630allows the piston 600 to be held within a cavity of the lift assembly.It also allows the piston some freedom of movement in relation to a mainbody of the lift assembly thereof.

The first portion 610 of the piston has a hollow tube portion 613 and aflange 615 (e.g., a projection) within the hollow tube portion 613. Thehollow tube portion 613 extends lengthwise through a main hull of thepiston 600. When the piston 600 is placed in the lift assembly, thishollow tube portion 613 projects lengthwise from the opening that it wasplaced through. The flange 615 is capable of movement through the hollowtube portion 613. For example, the flange 615 can extend into the secondportion 620 of the piston 600 when it is actuated.

To actuate the piston 600, air may be forced into the hollow tubeportion 613. Some type of airflow device, such as an air compressor (notshown), may be used to force air into the hollow tube portion 613 of thepiston 600. In some configurations, the piston 600 may include anactuator 640 that is attached to the airflow device. This actuator 640includes an opening that helps move air into and out of the hollow tubeportion 613. The actuator 640 may have two positions related to themovement of air in the hollow tube portion 613. In a first position, theactuator 640 allows air to be forced into the hollow tube portion 613.In a second position, the actuator 640 allows air to be removed from thehollow tube portion 613.

With respect to the example of the piston 600 in FIG. 6B, when air isforced into the hollow tube portion 613, the flange 615 extends out intothe second portion 620 of the piston 600. This allows the stud 629 to beinserted into the opening 627. The second portion 620 of the piston 600is the part that is used to grab pull stud 629. For example, the secondportion 620 is configured to grab the stud 629 that is shown insertedinto the opening 627.

To help grab the stud 629, the second portion 620 employs the ballbearings 625. The ball bearings 625 are situated in a wreath orotherwise generally circular configuration that can be securely clampedaround a predetermined part of the pull stud 629. This occurs when thestud has been inserted into the piston 600. As shown in FIG. 6B, whenair in the hollow tube portion of the piston 600 makes the flange 615extend out, this causes the wreath of bearings to open to a largerdiameter, thereby allowing the opening 627 to slide over the stud 629.

With respect to the example of the piston 600 in FIG. 6C, when air isremoved from the hollow tube portion 613, the flange 615 retracts backfrom the second portion 620. This allows the wreath of bearings to closeinto a tighter diameter that clamps around a neck of the stud 629,thereby allowing piston 600 to pick up the stud 629. Once all of thepistons in the lift assembly have secured a particular stud attached tothe apex of the balloon envelope, the lift assembly can then be used tolift the envelope.

In some situations, other techniques may be used to expand and contractthe diameter of the wreath of bearings. For example, when the stud 629is pushed through the opening 627, this may cause the ball bearings 625to spread apart to allow the stud 629 to pass. The ball bearings 625 maythen settle around the neck of the stud, thereby contracting thediameter of the wreath of bearings. To release the stud 629, air may beforced into the piston. As discussed above, this causes the flange 610to extend out into the second portion 620, thereby expanding thediameter of the wreath of bearings so that the stud 629 can be released.

Turing to FIG. 7, an example of a control system 700 for actuating thepistons is shown. The control system 700 includes a control unit 715 foractivating airflow to the pistons of lift assembly 730, and an airflowunit 710 that includes an air manifold 717 and an airflow device, suchas an air compressor (not shown), to force air through the manifold.Alternatively, the air compressor may be external to the control system.The air manifold directs airflow into each piston of the lift assembly730 via an opening in corresponding cavity. The lift assembly 730includes a set of cavities 740 disposed in a main body of the assembly.Each cavity holds a piston that can be actuated in order for it to graba given stud attached to a balloon envelope. This allows a handle 750coupled to the main body of the lift assembly to be used for lifting theballoon envelope.

The air manifold is coupled to each piston using, for example, one ormore hoses 720 or a similar type of tubing. These hoses 720 allow air toflow between the airflow unit 710 and the pistons. The airflow unit 710may be configured to actuate the pistons in order to cause them to grabthe studs. In this regard, each piston may include an actuator that isin communication through the hoses 720 with the airflow unit 710. Theseactuators allow air into and out of the hollow tube of pistons. Asdiscussed above, when the actuators are in a first position, air mayflow from the air manifold 710 into the pistons causing it to allow agiven stud to be inserted into a portion of the piston. When theactuators are in a second position, this may cause air to flow from thepiston to the airflow unit 710, thus causing the pistons to grab a partof the stud that has been inserted.

In some aspects, the pistons can be actuated remotely. For example, thecontrol unit 715 can remotely control the flow of air to and from thelift assembly 700. To this end, this control unit 715 can be used toturn on or off the airflow device (e.g., compressor) associated with theairflow unit 715. The control unit 715 may communicate with the airflowunit 715 using communication link 713. For example, this communicationlink 713 can be a wired or wireless link that uses several kindswireless communication protocols, such as WiFi, Bluetooth or otherprotocols. An advantage of being able to control the airflow unit 710remotely is that it allows a user to be able to remotely actuate thepistons, e.g., for releasing the studs, while the user is on the groundand the lift assembly 730 is high in the air with the balloon envelope.

FIG. 8 is an example of a system 800 for lifting a balloon envelope 802.In this example, the system 800 includes a lift assembly 810 that has anumber of pistons, such as piston 825, coupled to the assembly 810. Asdiscussed above, one end of each of the pistons is capable of grabbing astud, such as stud 830, which is attached to an apex of the balloonenvelope 802. For example, these studs are attached to an apparatus,such as a top plate or top cap, positioned at the apex in order tosecure a number of tendons 860 to the envelope.

Once the pistons of the lift assembly 810 have grabbed the studs, theballoon envelope 802 can be lifted. For this purpose, the lift assembly810 includes a handle 820, such as a U-bolt, coupled to the main body.In some aspects, this handle 820 can be attached to a hoist device, suchas a crane, forklift, winch or pulley assembly (not shown) capable oflifting the weight of the balloon envelope 802. The hoist device may becoupled to the handle 820 using a cable 880, which may be used to liftthe balloon envelope 802 high enough for the envelope to be inflated.

Turning to FIGS. 9A-C, an example 900 of a lift assembly 910 lifting aballoon envelope 920 is shown. In this example, in FIG. 9A the balloonenvelope 920 is shown coming out of a box 930, such as a shipping boxfor the envelope 920. As shown, the lift assembly 910 is attached to anapex of the balloon envelope 920. In this example, a hoisting device(not shown) using a cable 950 is used to pull the balloon envelope 920upward. In FIG. 9B, the lift assembly 910 is shown with the balloonenvelope 920 even higher out of the box 930. And FIG. 9C shows theballoon envelope 920 at another height. For example, this may be aheight high enough to accommodate the fully inflated balloon envelope920. Once the balloon envelope 920 is inflated, the lift assembly 810may release the envelope so that the balloon can be deployed. Forexample, a control unit for the remotely controlled airflow unit 710 asdiscussed with regard to FIG. 7 may be engaged so that the pistons ofthe lift assembly 910 may release the studs attached to the apex of theballoon envelope 920.

The above-described aspects of the technology may be advantageous forlifting a balloon envelope, e.g., straight out of a shipping box whileinflating it with air. This may allow the balloon envelope to beinflated without the need to lay it out on the ground. By providing anassembly for lifting the balloon envelope, the envelope can be protectedfrom damage that can short its flight life. Moreover, the variouscomponents of the assembly may be modified to further manage andfacilitate lifting the balloon envelope while it is being inflated.

Most of the foregoing alternative examples are not mutually exclusive,but may be implemented in various combinations to achieve uniqueadvantages. As these and other variations and combinations of thefeatures discussed above can be utilized without departing from thesubject matter defined by the claims, the foregoing description of theembodiments should be taken by way of illustration rather than by way oflimitation of the subject matter defined by the claims. In addition, theprovision of the examples described herein, as well as clauses phrasedas “such as,” “including” and the like, should not be interpreted aslimiting the subject matter of the claims to the specific examples;rather, the examples are intended to illustrate only one of manypossible embodiments. Further, the same reference numbers in differentdrawings can identify the same or similar elements.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for lifting a balloon envelope,the method comprising: arranging a lift assembly over a cap portionattached to a balloon envelope of a balloon, the lift assembly includinga plate structure having an opening passing through the plate structureand an actuating member attached to the plate structure through theopening, the actuating member having a body portion projecting from theopening, a projection attached to a tube portion and an attachmentportion in communication with the projection, the attachment portionbeing configured for attachment to a portion of the balloon envelope;forcing air into the tube portion in order to actuate the actuatingmember and cause the projection to project away from the tube portion;using the projected projection to grab and hold a stud attached to thetop plate; and when the projection is holding the stud, lifting the liftassembly to lift the balloon envelope.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising after lifting the lift assembly, releasing the stud from theprojection.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the cap portion is locatedat an apex of the balloon envelope such that the balloon envelope islifted from the apex of the balloon envelope when the lift assembly islifted.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising using an airflowunit coupled to the actuating member to force the air into the tube. 5.The method of claim 1, further comprising moving the actuating memberwithin the opening to align the actuating member with the stud prior tousing the projected projection.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein oncethe actuating member is aligned with the stud, the method furthercomprising sliding the actuating member over the stud so that the studis inserted into an opening of the actuating member.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the projection includes a plurality of ball bearingssuch that the plurality of ball bearings are used to grab and hold thestud within the opening of the actuating member.
 8. The method of claim7, further comprising actuating the actuating member to a first positionin order to open the plurality of bearings wide enough to attach theattachment portion to the stud in order to grab the stud.
 9. The methodof claim 8, further comprising actuating the actuating member to asecond position in order to clamp the plurality of bearings around thestud.
 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising, releasing the studfrom the ball bearings in order to release the stud from the liftassembly.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the projection includes aplurality of ball bearings such that the plurality of ball bearings areused to grab and hold the stud.
 12. The method of claim 1, whereinlifting the lift assembly includes using a cable attached to the liftassembly to lift the lift assembly.
 13. The method of claim 11, whereinlifting the lift assembly includes lifting a handle portion of the liftassembly coupled to the plate structure, and the cable is attached tothe handle portion.
 14. The method of claim 1, further comprising usinga second actuating member of the lift assembly to grab and hold a secondstud attached to the top plate assembly prior to lifting the liftassembly.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the tube portion isconfigured to be filled with air in order to actuate the actuatingmember.
 16. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a remotecontrol unit to initiate the forcing of air into the tube portion byturning on an airflow device that provides air to the tube portion. 17.The method of claim 1, wherein the projection includes a plurality ofball bearings, and the method further comprises pushing the stud throughan opening in the tube portion to force the plurality of ball bearingsapart from one another.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising,after forcing the plurality of ball bearings apart from one another,closing the plurality of ball bearings towards one another around a neckof the stud to hold the stud.